1. Sinbad the Sailor (first voyage)
A long time ago there lived a merchant in the city of Baghdad, whose name was Sinbad. He had a lot of goods and money, and his ships sailed all the seas. The captains of the ships, returning from travels, told Sinbad amazing stories about their adventures and about the distant countries they visited.
Sinbad listened to their stories, and more and more he wanted to see with his own eyes the wonders and curiosities of foreign countries.
And so he decided to go on a long journey.
He bought a lot of goods, chose the fastest and strongest ship and set off. Other merchants went with him with their goods.
For a long time their ship sailed from sea to sea and from land to land, and, landing on land, they sold and bartered their goods.
And then one day, when they had not seen land for many days and nights, a sailor on the mast shouted:
Coast! Coast!
The captain steered the ship towards the shore and anchored off a large green island. Wonderful, unprecedented flowers grew there, and colorful birds sang on the branches of shady trees.
The travelers descended to the ground to rest from the heaving. Some of them lit a fire and began to cook food, others washed clothes in wooden troughs, and some walked around the island. Sinbad also went for a walk and imperceptibly moved away from the shore. Suddenly the ground stirred under his feet, and he heard the captain's loud cry:
Save yourself! Run to the ship! This is not an island, but a huge fish!
Indeed, it was a fish. It was covered with sand, trees grew on it, and it became like an island. But when the travelers lit a fire, the fish became hot and moved.
Hurry! Hurry! - the captain shouted. - Now she will dive to the bottom!
The merchants abandoned their boilers and troughs and rushed to the ship in horror. But only those that were near the shore managed to run. The fish-island sank into the depths of the sea, and everyone who was late went to the bottom. The roaring waves closed over them.
Sinbad also did not have time to reach the ship. The waves crashed on him, but he swam well and surfaced on the surface of the sea. A large trough floated past him, in which the merchants had just washed their clothes. Sinbad sat astride a trough and tried to row with his feet. But the waves tossed the trough to the right and left, and Sinbad could not control it.
The captain of the ship ordered to raise the sails and sailed away from this place, not even looking at the drowning man.
Sinbad looked after the ship for a long time, and when the ship disappeared into the distance, he wept from grief and despair. Now he had nowhere to wait for rescue.
The waves beat the trough and tossed it from side to side all day and all night. And in the morning, Sinbad suddenly saw that he was washed up on a high bank. Sinbad grabbed the branches of a tree that hung over the water, and, gathering the last of his strength, climbed ashore. As soon as Sinbad felt himself on solid ground, he fell on the grass and lay as if dead all day and all night.
In the morning he decided to look for some food. He reached a large green lawn covered with variegated flowers, and suddenly he saw a horse in front of him, the most beautiful in the world. The horse's legs were tangled and he was grazing on the lawn.
Sinbad stopped, admiring this horse, and after a while he saw a man in the distance, who was running, waving his arms, and shouting something. He ran up to Sinbad and asked him:
Who are you? Where are you from and how did you get to our country?
Oh lord, - answered Sinbad, - I am a stranger. I sailed on a ship on the sea, and my ship sank, and I managed to grab hold of a trough in which they wash clothes. The waves carried me along the sea until they brought me to your shores. Tell me, whose horse is this, so beautiful, and why is he grazing here alone?
Know, - answered the man, - that I am the groom of the king al-Mihrjan. There are many of us, and each of us follows only one horse. In the evening we bring them to graze on this meadow, and in the morning we take them back to the stable. Our king is very fond of strangers. Let's go to him - he will meet you kindly and show you mercy.
Thank you, sir, for your kindness, - said Sinbad.
The groom put a silver bridle on the horse, took off the fetters and led him into the city. Sinbad followed the groom.
Soon they came to the palace, and Sinbad was led into the hall where King al-Mihrjan was sitting on a high throne. The king treated Sinbad kindly and began to question him, and Sinbad told him about everything that had happened to him. Al-Mihrjan showed him mercy and appointed him the head of the harbor.
From morning to evening, Sinbad stood on the pier and wrote down the ships that came to the harbor. He lived for a long time in the country of King al-Mihrjan, and every time a ship approached the pier, Sinbad asked the merchants and sailors in which direction the city of Baghdad was. But none of them heard anything about Baghdad, and Sinbad almost stopped hoping that he would see his native city.
And the king al-Mihrjan fell in love with Sinbad very much and made him his close associate. He often talked to him about his country and, when he traveled around his possessions, he always took Sinbad with him.
Many miracles and curiosities had to be seen by Sinbad in the land of King al-Mihrjan, but he did not forget his homeland and only thought about how to return to Baghdad.
Once Sinbad stood, as always, on the seashore, sad and sad. At this time, a large ship approached the pier, on which there were many merchants and sailors. All the inhabitants of the city ran ashore to meet the ship. The sailors began to unload the goods, and Sinbad stood and wrote down. In the evening, Sinbad asked the captain:
How much goods are left on your ship?
There are several more bales in the hold, - the captain answered, - but their owner drowned. We want to sell these goods and take the money for them to his relatives in Baghdad.
What is the name of the owner of these goods? - asked Sinbad.
His name is Sinbad, replied the captain. Hearing this, Sinbad cried out loudly and said:
I am Sinbad! I got off your ship when it landed on the fish island, and you left and left me when I was sinking into the sea. These goods are my goods.
You want to deceive me! - cried the captain. - I told you that I have goods on the ship, the owner of which drowned, and you want to take them for yourself! We saw how Sinbad drowned, and many merchants drowned with him. How do you say that the goods are yours? You have no honor, no conscience!
Listen to me, and you will know that I am telling the truth, - said Sinbad. - Don't you remember how I hired your ship in Basra, and a scribe named Suleiman Lop-Eared brought me to you?
And he told the captain all that had happened on his ship since the day they all sailed from Basra. And then the captain and the merchants recognized Sinbad and were glad that he had escaped. They gave Sinbad his goods, and Sinbad sold them at a great profit. He said goodbye to King al-Mihrjan, loaded onto the ship other goods that were not in Baghdad, and sailed on his ship to Basra.
For many days and nights his ship sailed and finally anchored in the harbor of Basra, and from there Sinbad went to the City of Peace, as the Arabs called Baghdad at that time.
In Baghdad, Sinbad distributed some of his goods to friends and acquaintances, and sold the rest.
He endured so many troubles and misfortunes along the way that he decided never to leave Baghdad again.
Thus ended the first journey of Sinbad the Sailor.
2. Sinbad the Sailor (second voyage)
But soon Sinbad got bored of sitting in one place, and he wanted to sail the seas again. He bought goods again, went to Basra and chose a large, strong ship. For two days the sailors put goods in the hold, and on the third day the captain ordered to raise the anchor, and the ship set off, driven by a fair wind.
Sinbad saw many islands, cities and countries on this journey, and finally his ship landed on an unknown beautiful island, where transparent streams flowed and dense trees hung with heavy fruits grew.
Sinbad and his companions, merchants from Baghdad, went ashore for a walk and dispersed around the island. Sinbad chose a shady place and sat down to rest under a thick apple tree. Soon he was hungry. He took a fried chicken out of his traveling bag and a few cakes that he had taken from the ship, and ate it, and then lay down on the grass and immediately fell asleep.
When he woke up, the sun was already low. Sinbad jumped to his feet and ran to the sea, but the ship was gone. He sailed away, and everyone who was on it - and the captain, and the merchants, and the sailors - forgot about Sinbad.
Poor Sinbad was left alone on the island. He wept bitterly and said to himself:
If on the first trip I escaped and met people who brought me back to Baghdad, now no one will find me on this deserted island.
Until the very night, Sinbad stood on the shore, looking to see if the ship was sailing in the distance, and when it got dark, he lay down on the ground and fell asleep soundly.
In the morning, at sunrise, Sinbad woke up and went deep into the island to look for food and fresh water. From time to time he climbed the trees and looked around, but saw nothing but forest, earth and water.
He became sad and scared. Do you really have to spend your whole life on this deserted island? But then, trying to cheer himself up, he said:
What's the use of sitting and mourning! Nobody can save me if I don't save myself. I'll go further and maybe I'll reach the place where people live.
Several days have passed. And then one day Sinbad climbed a tree and saw in the distance a large white dome that dazzlingly sparkled in the sun. Sinbad was very happy and thought: “This is probably the roof of the palace in which the king of this island lives. I will go to him and he will help me get to Baghdad.”
Sinbad quickly descended from the tree and walked forward, keeping his eyes on the white dome. Approaching a close distance, he saw that it was not a palace, but a white ball - so huge that its top could not be seen.
Sinbad walked around him, but did not see any windows or doors. He tried to climb to the top of the ball, but the walls were so slippery and smooth that Sinbad had nothing to grab onto.
“This is a miracle,” Sinbad thought. “What is this ball?”
All of a sudden everything went dark. Sinbad looked up and saw that a huge bird was flying above him and its wings, like clouds, obscured the sun. Sinbad was frightened at first, but then he remembered that the captain of his ship told that the bird Ruhh lives on the distant islands, which feeds its chicks with elephants. Sinbad immediately realized that the white ball is the egg of the Rukh bird. He hid and waited to see what would happen next. The bird Ruhh, circling in the air, landed on the egg, covered it with its wings and fell asleep. She did not notice Sinbad.
And Sinbad lay motionless near the egg and thought: “I found a way to get out of here. As long as the bird doesn't wake up."
He waited a little and, seeing that the bird was sound asleep, he quickly removed the turban from his head, unwound it and tied it to the leg of the Ruhh bird. She did not move - after all, in comparison with her, Sinbad was no more than an ant. Having become attached, Sinbad lay down on the leg of the bird and said to himself:
“Tomorrow she will fly away with me and, perhaps, take me to a country where there are people and cities. But even if I fall and break, it is still better to die immediately than to wait for death on this desert island.
Early in the morning, just before dawn, the Rukhh bird woke up, spread its wings with a noise, screamed loudly and long, and soared into the air. Sinbad closed his eyes in fear and firmly grabbed the bird's leg. She rose to the very clouds and flew over the waters and lands for a long time, and Sinbad hung, tied to her leg, and was afraid to look down. Finally, the Rukhh bird began to descend and, sitting on the ground, folded its wings. Then Sinbad quickly and carefully untied the turban, trembling with fear that Ruhh would notice him and kill him. But the bird never saw Sinbad. She suddenly grabbed something long and thick from the ground with her claws and flew away. Sinbad looked after her and saw that Ruhh was carrying a huge snake in its claws, longer and thicker than the largest palm tree.
Sinbad rested a little and looked around - and it turned out that the bird Ruhh brought him to a deep and wide valley. Huge mountains stood like a wall around, so high that their tops rested against the clouds, and there was no way out of this valley.
I got rid of one misfortune and ended up in another, even worse, - said Sinbad, sighing heavily. - On the island there were at least fruits and fresh water, but here there is neither water nor trees.
Not knowing what to do, he sadly wandered through the valley, head down. Meanwhile, the sun rose over the mountains and illuminated the valley. And then all of a sudden it sparkled brightly. Every stone on the ground shone and shimmered with blue, red, yellow lights. Sinbad picked up one stone and saw that it was a precious diamond, the hardest stone in the world, with which metals are drilled and glass is cut. The valley was full of diamonds, and the ground in it was diamond.
And suddenly there was a hiss from everywhere. Huge snakes crawled out from under the stones to bask in the sun. Each of these snakes was larger than the tallest tree, and if an elephant came into the valley, the snakes would probably swallow him whole.
Sinbad trembled with horror and wanted to run, but there was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Sinbad rushed about in all directions and suddenly noticed a small cave. He crawled into it and found himself right in front of a huge snake, which curled up in a ball and hissed menacingly. Sinbad was even more frightened. He crawled out of the cave and pressed his back against the rock, trying not to move. He saw that there was no salvation for him.
And suddenly a large piece of meat fell right in front of him. Sinbad raised his head, but there was nothing above him except the sky and rocks. Soon another piece of meat fell from above, followed by a third. Then Sinbad realized where he was and what kind of valley it was.
Long ago in Baghdad he heard from a traveler a story about the Al-Maz Valley. “This valley,” the traveler said, “is located in a distant country between mountains, and no one can get into it, because there is no road there. But the merchants who trade in diamonds have come up with a trick to get the stones. They kill the sheep, cut it into pieces and throw the meat into the valley. Diamonds stick to meat, and at noon birds of prey descend into the valley - eagles and hawks - grab the meat and take it up the mountain. Then the merchants banging and shouting drive the birds away from the meat and tear off the adhering diamonds; they leave the meat to the birds and beasts.”
Sinbad remembered this story and was delighted. He figured out how to save himself. He quickly collected as many large diamonds as he could carry with him, and then unraveled his turban, lay down on the ground, put a large piece of meat on himself and tied it tightly to himself. In less than a minute, a mountain eagle descended into the valley, grabbed the meat with its claws and rose into the air. Having flown to a high mountain, he began to peck at the meat, but suddenly loud screams and knocks were heard from behind him. The alarmed eagle abandoned his prey and flew away, while Sinbad untied his turban and stood up. The knocking and roaring was heard closer and closer, and soon an old, fat, bearded man in the clothes of a merchant ran out from behind the trees. He beat with a stick on a wooden shield and shouted at the top of his voice to drive away the eagle; Without even looking at Sinbad, the merchant rushed to the meat and examined it from all sides, but did not find a single diamond. Then he sat down on the ground, clutched his head with his hands and exclaimed:
What a misfortune! I have already thrown a whole bull into the valley, but the eagles have taken all the pieces of meat to their nests. They left only one piece and, as if on purpose, such that not a single pebble stuck to it. Oh grief! O failure!
Then he saw Sinbad, who was standing next to him, covered in blood and dust, barefoot and in torn clothes. The merchant immediately stopped screaming and froze in fright. Then he raised his stick, covered himself with a shield and asked:
Who are you and how did you get here?
Do not be afraid of me, venerable merchant. I will not harm you, - Sinbad answered. - I was also a merchant, like you, but I experienced many troubles and terrible adventures. Help me get out of here and back to my homeland, and I'll give you more diamonds than you've ever had.
Do you really have diamonds? - asked the merchant. - Show me.
Sinbad showed him his stones and gave him the best of them. The merchant was delighted and thanked Sinbad for a long time, and then he called other merchants who also mined diamonds, and Sinbad told them about all his misfortunes.
The merchants congratulated him on his salvation, gave him good clothes and took him with them.
They walked for a long time through the steppes, deserts, plains and mountains, and Sinbad had to see many miracles and curiosities until he reached his homeland.
On one island he saw a beast called a karkadann. Karkadann is like a big cow and has one thick horn in the middle of his head. He is so strong that he can carry a big elephant on his horn. From the sun, the fat of the elephant begins to melt and floods the karkadanna's eyes. Karkadann goes blind and falls to the ground. Then the bird Ruhh flies to him and takes him in its claws together with the elephant to its nest. After a long journey, Sinbad finally reached Baghdad. His relatives greeted him with joy and arranged a celebration on the occasion of his return. They thought that Sinbad was dead and did not hope to see him again. Sinbad sold his diamonds and began to trade again, as before.
Thus ended the second journey of Sinbad the Sailor.
3. Sinbad the Sailor (third voyage)
For several years Sinbad lived in his native city, without leaving anywhere. His friends and acquaintances, Baghdad merchants, came to him every evening and listened to stories about his wanderings, and every time Sinbad remembered the Rukhh bird, the diamond valley of huge snakes, he became so scared, as if he were still wandering in valley of diamonds.
One evening, as usual, his merchant friends came to Sinbad. When they had finished supper and were preparing to listen to the stories of the owner, a servant entered the room and said that a man was standing at the gate and selling strange fruits.
Order him to enter here, - said Sinbad.
The servant led the fruit merchant into the room. He was a swarthy man with a long black beard, dressed in a foreign way. On his head he carried a basket full of magnificent fruits. He placed the basket in front of Sinbad and removed the cover from it.
Sinbad looked into the basket - and gasped in surprise. There were huge round oranges, sour and sweet lemons, oranges, bright as fire, peaches, pears and pomegranates, as large and juicy as they are in Baghdad.
Who are you, stranger, and where did you come from? - Sinbad asked the merchant.
O lord, he replied, I was born far from here, on the island of Serendibe. All my life I have sailed the seas and traveled to many countries and everywhere I have sold such fruits.
Tell me about the island of Serendib: what is it like and who lives on it? - said Sinbad.
You can't describe my homeland in words. It must be seen, because there is no island in the world more beautiful and better than Serendib, - the merchant replied. - When the traveler enters the shore, he hears the singing of beautiful birds, whose feathers burn in the sun like precious stones. Even the flowers on the island of Serendibe glow like bright gold. And there are flowers on it that cry and laugh. Every day at sunrise they raise their heads up and shout loudly: “Morning! Morning!” and they laugh, and in the evening, when the sun goes down, they lower their heads to the ground and cry. As soon as darkness falls, all kinds of animals come to the seashore - bears, leopards, lions and sea horses - and each one holds in his mouth a precious stone that sparkles like fire and illuminates everything around. And the trees in my homeland are the rarest and most expensive: aloe, which smells so beautiful when you light it; strong flow that goes to the ship's masts - not a single insect will gnaw through it, and neither water nor cold will damage it; tall palms and shiny ebony or ebony. The sea around Serendib is gentle and warm. At the bottom of it are wonderful pearls - white, pink and black, and the fishermen dive into the water and get them. And sometimes they send little monkeys for pearls...
For a long time the merchant of fruits talked about the curiosities of the island of Serendiba, and when he finished, Sinbad generously rewarded him and let him go. The merchant left, bowing low, and Sinbad went to bed, but tossed and turned from side to side for a long time and could not fall asleep, remembering stories about the island of Serendib. He heard the lapping of the sea and the creaking of the ship's masts, he saw before him wonderful birds and golden flowers, sparkling with bright lights. Finally he fell asleep and dreamed of a monkey with a huge pink pearl in its mouth.
When he woke up, he immediately jumped out of bed and said to himself:
I absolutely must visit the island of Serendibe! Today I'm going to start getting ready for the journey.
He collected all the money he had, bought goods, said goodbye to his family and again went to the seaside city of Basra. For a long time he chose a better ship for himself and finally found a beautiful, strong ship. The captain of this ship was a sailor from Persia named Buzurg - an old fat man with a long beard. He sailed the ocean for many years, and his ship never wrecked.
Sinbad ordered to load his goods on the Buzurga ship and set off. Along with him went his fellow merchants, who also wanted to visit the island of Serendibe.
The wind was favorable, and the ship moved quickly forward. The first few days everything went well. But one morning a storm broke out at sea; a strong wind arose, which now and then changed direction. Sinbad's ship was carried across the sea like a piece of wood. Enormous waves rolled over the deck one after another. Sinbad and his friends tied themselves to the masts and began to say goodbye to each other, not hoping to escape. Only Captain Buzurg was calm. He himself stood at the helm and gave orders in a loud voice. Seeing that he was not afraid, his companions also calmed down. By noon, the storm began to subside. The waves became smaller, the sky cleared up. Soon there was complete silence.
And suddenly Captain Buzurg began to beat himself in the face, moaning and crying. He tore off the turban from his head, threw it on the deck, tore his dressing gown and shouted:
Know that our ship is caught in a strong current and we cannot get out of it! And this current carries us to a country called the “Land of the Furry”. People who look like monkeys live there, and no one has yet returned alive from this country. Prepare yourself for death - there is no salvation for us!
Before the captain could finish speaking, there was a terrible blow. The ship shook violently, zero, and it stopped. The current drove him to the shore, and he ran aground. And now the whole coast was covered with little men. There were more and more of them, they rolled down from the shore straight into the water, swam up to the ship and quickly climbed onto the masts. These little people, covered with thick hair, with yellow eyes, crooked legs and tenacious hands, gnawed through the ship's ropes and tore off the sails, and then rushed at Sinbad and his companions. The front little man crept up to one of the merchants. The merchant drew his sword and cut it in half. And immediately ten more shaggy ones rushed at him, grabbed him by the arms and legs and threw him into the sea, followed by another and a third merchant.
Are we really afraid of these monkeys ?! - exclaimed Sinbad and pulled out a sword from his butt-wives.
But Captain Buzurg grabbed him by the arm and shouted:
Watch out, Sinbad! Can't you see that if each of us kills ten or even a hundred monkeys, the rest will tear him to shreds or throw him overboard? We run from the ship to the island, and let the ship go to the monkeys.
Sinbad obeyed the captain and sheathed his sword.
He jumped to the shore of the island, and his companions followed him. The last to leave the ship was Captain Buzurg. He was very sorry to leave his ship to these furry monkeys.
Sinbad and his friends slowly went forward, not knowing where to go. They walked and talked quietly to each other. And suddenly Captain Buzurg exclaimed:
Look! Look! Castle!
Sinbad raised his head and saw a tall house with black iron gates.
Maybe people live in this house. Let's go and find out who his master is, he said.
The travelers went faster and soon reached the gate of the house. Sinbad was the first to run into the yard and shouted:
There must have been a feast here recently! Look - cauldrons and frying pans hang on sticks around the brazier, and gnawed bones are scattered everywhere. And the coals in the brazier are still hot. Let's sit on this bench for a while - maybe the owner of the house will come out into the yard and call us.
Sinbad and his companions were so tired that they could hardly stand on their feet. They sat down, some on a bench, and some right on the ground, and soon fell asleep, warming themselves in the sun. Sinbad woke up first. He was awakened by a loud noise and hum. It seemed that somewhere not far away a large herd of elephants was passing by. The earth trembled from someone's heavy steps. It was already almost dark. Sinbad got up from the bench and froze in horror: a man of enormous stature was moving right at him - a real giant, resembling a tall palm tree. He was all black, his eyes sparkled like burning brands, his mouth was like a hole at a well, and his teeth stuck out like the tusks of a wild boar. His ears fell on his shoulders, and the nails on his hands were wide and sharp, like those of a lion. The giant walked slowly, slightly bent over, as if it was difficult for him to carry his head, and sighed heavily. With every breath, the trees rustled and their tops bent to the ground, as during a storm. In the hands of the giant was a huge torch - a whole trunk of a resinous tree.
Sinbad's companions also woke up and lay half dead with fear on the ground. The ve-likan approached and bent over them. He examined each of them for a long time and, having chosen one, he raised it like a feather. It was Captain Buzurg - the largest and thickest of Sinbad's companions.
Sinbad drew his sword and rushed to the giant. All his fear passed, and he thought only of one thing: how to wrest Buzurg from the monster's hands. But the giant kicked Sinbad aside with a kick. He kindled a fire on the brazier, roasted Captain Buzur-g and ate him.
Having finished eating, the giant stretched out on the ground and snored loudly. Sinbad and his comrades were sitting on a bench, clinging to each other and holding their breath.
Sinbad was the first to recover and, making sure that the giant was fast asleep, he jumped up and exclaimed:
It would be better if we drowned in the sea! Shall we let the giant eat us like sheep?
Let's leave here and look for a place where we could hide from him, - said one of the merchants.
Where shall we go? He will find us everywhere, - objected Sinbad. - It will be better if we kill him and then sail away by sea. Maybe some ship will pick us up.
And on what will we sail away, Sinbad? - the merchants asked.
Look at these logs that are stacked near the brazier. They are long and thick, and if they are tied together, a good raft will come out, - said Sinbad. - We will transfer them to the seashore while this cruel ogre sleeps, and then we will return here and think of a way to kill him.
This is a wonderful plan, - said the merchants, and began to drag the logs to the seashore and tie them with ropes of palm bast.
By morning the raft was ready, and Sinbad and his comrades returned to the giant's yard. When they arrived, the ogre was not in the yard. Until the evening he did not appear.
When it got dark, the earth shook again and a rumble and clatter was heard. The giant was close. As on the eve, he slowly approached Sinbad's comrades and bent over them, lighting them with a torch. He chose the fattest merchant, pierced him with a skewer, fried him and ate him. And then he stretched out on the ground and fell asleep.
Another one of our companions died! - exclaimed Sinbad. - But this is the last one. This cruel man will not eat any of us again.
What are you thinking, Sinbad? - the merchants asked him.
Watch and do as I say! - exclaimed Sinbad.
He grabbed two skewers, on which the giant was roasting meat, heated them on fire and put them to the eyes of the ogre. Then he made a sign to the merchants, and they all fell together on the skewers. The ogre's eyes went deep into his head, and he became blind.
The ogre jumped up with a terrible cry and began to fumble around with his hands, trying to catch his enemies. But Sinbad and his comrades rushed in all directions from him and ran to the sea. The giant followed them, continuing to shout loudly. He caught up with the fugitives and overtook them, but did not catch anyone. They ran between his legs, dodged his hands, and finally ran to the seashore, sat on a raft and sailed away, rowing, like an oar, with a thin trunk of a young palm tree.
When the ogre heard the oars hitting the water, he realized that the prey had left him. He screamed even louder than before. Two more giants came running to his cry, as terrible as he was. They broke off a huge stone from the rocks and threw it after the fugitives. Blocks of rocks with a terrible noise fell into the water, only slightly touching the raft. But such waves rose from them that the raft capsized. Sinbad's companions almost did not know how to swim. They immediately choked and went to the bottom. Only Sinbad himself and two more younger merchants managed to grab the raft and hold on to the surface of the sea.
Sinbad with difficulty climbed back onto the raft and helped his comrades out of the water. The waves carried away their oar, and they had to go with the current, slightly guiding the raft with their feet. It was getting brighter. The sun was about to rise. Sinbad's comrades, wet and trembling, sat on the raft and complained loudly. Sinbad stood on the edge of the raft, looking out to see if the shore or the sails of the ship could be seen in the distance. Suddenly he turned to his companions and shouted:
Take heart, my friends Ahmed and Hasan! The land is not far away, and the current carries us straight to the shore. Do you see the birds circling there, in the distance, above the water? Their nests are probably somewhere nearby. After all, birds do not fly far from their chicks.
Ahmed and Hassan cheered and raised their heads. Hasan, who had eyes as sharp as a hawk, looked ahead and said:
Your truth, Sinbad. Over there, in the distance, I see an island. Soon the current will bring our raft to it, and we will rest on solid ground.
The exhausted travelers rejoiced and began to row their feet harder to help the current. If only they knew what awaits them on this island!
Soon the raft was washed ashore, and Sinbad, Ahmed and Hasan came to land. They slowly walked forward, picking up berries and roots from the ground, and saw tall, spreading trees on the bank of the stream. The thick grass beckoned to lie down and rest.
Sinbad rushed under a tree and immediately fell asleep. He was awakened by some strange sound, as if someone were grinding grain between two huge stones. Sinbad opened his eyes and jumped to his feet. He saw in front of him a huge snake with a wide mouth, like a whale. The snake lay quietly on its belly and lazily, with a loud crunch, moved its jaws. This crunch woke up Sinbad. And out of the snake's mouth protruded human legs in sandals. Sinbad learned from the sandals that these were Ahmed's feet.
Gradually, Ahmed completely disappeared into the belly of the snake, and the snake slowly crawled into the forest. When he disappeared, Sinbad looked around and saw that he was left alone.
“Where is Hasan?” thought Sinbad. “Did the snake really eat him too?”
Hey Hassan, where are you?” he called out.
Get in here too!” he shouted to Sinbad.
Sinbad grabbed a few coconuts from the ground and climbed up a tree. He had to sit on the top branch, it was very uncomfortable. And Hassan settled down beautifully on a wide bough lower.
For many hours Sinbad and Hassan sat on a tree, every minute waiting for the appearance of a snake. It began to get dark, night fell, but the monster was still not there. Finally, Hassan could not stand it and fell asleep, leaning his back against the trunk of a tree and dangling his legs. Soon Sinbad also dozed off. When he woke up, it was light and the sun was quite high. Sinbad carefully leaned over and looked down. Hasan was no longer on the branch. On the grass, under a tree, his turban was white and his worn-out shoes lay - all that was left of poor Hassan.
“He, too, was devoured by this terrible snake,” thought Sinbad. “It can be seen that you can’t hide from him on a tree.”
Now Sinbad was alone on the island. For a long time he was looking for some place to hide from the snake, but there was not a single rock or cave on the island. Tired of searching, Sinbad sat down on the ground near the sea and began to think how he could be saved.
“If I have escaped from the hands of the cannibal, then will I really let myself be eaten by a snake?” he thought. “I am a man, and I have a mind that will help me outwit this monster.”
Suddenly, a huge wave splashed from the sea and threw a thick ship plank ashore. Sinbad saw this board and immediately figured out how to save himself. He grabbed a board, picked up a few more smaller boards on the shore and carried them into the forest. Choosing a board of a suitable size, Sinbad tied it to his feet with a large piece of palm bast. He tied the same board to his head, and the other two - to his body, on the right and left, so that he seemed to be in a box. And then he lay down on the ground and waited.
Soon there was a crackling of brushwood and a loud hiss. The serpent smelled a man and sought out its prey. His long head appeared from behind the trees, on which two large eyes shone like torches. He crawled up to Sinbad and opened his mouth wide, sticking out a long forked tongue.
He examined the box in surprise, from which smelled so deliciously of a man, and tried to grab it and gnaw it with his teeth, but the strong wood did not give in.
The serpent went around Sinbad from all sides, trying to rip off the wooden shield from him. The shield turned out to be too strong, and the serpent only broke off its teeth. In a rage, he began to beat the boards with his tail. The boards trembled, but held out. The serpent worked for a long time, but never reached Sinbad. Finally, he was exhausted and crawled back into the forest, hissing and scattering dry leaves with his tail.
Sinbad quickly untied the boards and jumped to his feet.
“Lying between the boards is very uncomfortable, but if the snake catches me defenseless, it will devour me,” Sinbad said to himself. “We must flee from the island. I would rather drown in the sea than die in the mouth of a snake, like Ahmed and Hassan.
And Sinbad decided to make himself a raft again. He returned to the sea and began to collect boards. Suddenly he saw the sail of a ship nearby. The ship was getting closer, a fair wind was driving it to the shores of the island. Sinbad tore off his shirt and began to run along the shore, waving it. He waved his arms, shouted and tried his best to draw attention to himself. Finally, the sailors noticed him, and the captain ordered the ship to be stopped. Sinbad threw himself into the water and reached the ship in a few strokes. From the sails and the clothes of the sailors, he learned that the ship belonged to his countrymen. Indeed, it was an Arab ship. The captain of the ship has heard many stories about the island where the terrible snake lives, but he has never heard of anyone escaping from it.
The sailors kindly greeted Sinbad, fed and clothed him. The captain ordered to raise the sails, and the ship rushed on.
He sailed for a long time on the sea and finally swam to some land. The captain stopped the ship at the pier, and all the travelers went ashore to sell and barter their goods. Only Sinbad had nothing. Sad and sad, he remained on the ship. Soon the captain called him to him and said:
I want to do a good deed and help you. We had a traveler with us whom we lost, and I do not know whether he is dead or alive. And his goods are still in the hold. Take them and sell them in the market, and I'll give you something for your trouble. And what we cannot sell, we will take to Baghdad and give it to relatives.
Willingly do it, - said Sinbad.
And the captain ordered the sailors to take out the goods from the hold.
When the last bale was unloaded, the ship's scribe asked the captain:
What are these goods and what is the name of their owner? In whose name should they be written?
Write it down in the name of Sinbad the Sailor, who sailed with us on the ship and disappeared, - the captain replied.
Hearing this, Sinbad almost fainted from surprise and joy.
O lord, he asked the captain, do you know the man whose goods you ordered me to sell?
It was a man from the city of Baghdad named Sinbad the Sailor, - answered the captain.
It's me Sinbad the Sailor! - Sinbad shouted. - I didn't disappear, but fell asleep on the shore, and you didn't wait for me and sailed away. It was on my last journey when the Rukh bird brought me to the valley of diamonds.
The sailors heard the words of Sinbad and crowded around him. Some believed him, others called him a liar. And suddenly a merchant, who also sailed on this ship, approached the captain and said:
Remember, I told you how I was on a mountain of diamonds and threw a piece of meat into the valley, and some man clung to the meat, and the eagle brought it to the mountain along with the meat? You didn't believe me and said I was lying. Here is a man who tied his turban to my piece of meat. He gave me the best diamonds and said that his name was Sinbad the Sailor.
Then the captain hugged Sinbad and said to him:
Take your goods. Now I believe that you are Sinbad the Sailor. Sell them quickly before the market runs out of business.
Sinbad sold his goods at a great profit and returned to Baghdad on the same ship. He was very pleased to have returned home, and was determined never to travel again.
Thus ended the third journey of Sinbad.
4. Sinbad the Sailor (fourth voyage)
But a little time passed, and Sinbad again wanted to visit foreign countries. He bought the most expensive goods, went to Basra, hired a good ship and sailed towards India.
The first days everything went well, but one morning a storm arose. Sinbad's ship began to be thrown over the waves like a piece of wood. The captain ordered to anchor in a shallow place to wait out the storm. But before the ship had time to stop, the anchor chains burst, and the ship was carried straight to the shore. The sails on the ship broke, the waves flooded the deck and carried all the merchants and sailors out to sea. Unfortunate travelers, like stones went to the bottom. Only Sinbad and a few other merchants grabbed a piece of board and held on to the surface of the sea.
All day and all night they raced on the sea, and in the morning the waves threw them onto a rocky shore.
The travelers lay barely alive on the ground. Only when the day passed, and after it the night, did they come to their senses a little.
Shivering from the cold, Sinbad and his friends walked along the shore, hoping that they would meet people who would shelter and feed them. They walked for a long time and finally saw in the distance a tall building, similar to a palace. Sinbad was very happy and went faster. But as soon as the travelers approached this building, they were surrounded by a crowd of people. These people seized them and took them to their king, and the king ordered them to sit down with a sign. When they sat down, bowls with some strange food were placed in front of them. Neither Sinbad nor his fellow merchants ever ate anything like this. Sinbad's companions greedily pounced on the food and ate everything that was in the bowls. One Sinbad hardly touched the food, but only tasted it.
And the king of this city was a cannibal. His close associates caught all foreigners who entered their country and fed them with this dish. Anyone who ate it gradually lost his mind and became like an animal. Having fattened the stranger, the king's entourage killed him, roasted him and ate him. And the king ate people right raw.
Sinbad's friends also met the same fate. Every day they ate a lot of this food, and their whole body was swollen with fat. They no longer understood what was happening to them - they only ate and slept. They were given to the shepherd, like pigs; every day the shepherd drove them out of the city and fed them from large troughs.
Sinbad did not eat this dish, and they did not give him another. He picked up roots and berries in the meadows and somehow ate them. Before his body dried up, he became weak and could hardly stand on his feet. Seeing that Sinbad was so weak and skinny, the king's associates decided that he did not need to be guarded - he would not run away anyway - and soon forgot about him.
And Sinbad only dreamed of how to escape from the cannibals. One morning, when everyone was still sleeping, he came out of the palace gate and went aimlessly. Soon he came to a green meadow and saw a man who was sitting on a large stone. It was the shepherd. He had just driven merchants, friends of Sinbad, from the city and placed a trough with food in front of them. Seeing Sinbad, the shepherd immediately realized that Sinbad was healthy and in control of his mind. He made him a sign with his hand: "Come here!" - And when Sinbad approached, he said to him: - Go along this path, and when you reach the crossroads, turn right and go out onto the Sultan's road. She will lead you out of the land of our king, and perhaps you will reach your homeland.
Sinbad thanked the shepherd and went. He tried to walk as quickly as possible and soon saw the road to his right. For seven days and seven nights, Sinbad walked along this road, eating roots and berries. Finally, on the morning of the eighth day, he saw a crowd of people not far from him and approached them. People surrounded him and began to ask who he was and where he came from. Sinbad told them about everything that had happened to him, and he was taken to the king of that country. The king ordered to feed Sinbad and also asked him where he came from and what happened to him. When Sinbad told the king about his adventures, the king was very surprised and exclaimed:
I have never heard a more amazing story in my life! Welcome foreigner! Stay in my city.
Sinbad remained in the city of this king, whose name was Taigamus. The king fell in love with Sinbad very much and soon got used to him so much that he did not let him go from him for a minute. He showed Sinbad all sorts of favors and fulfilled all his desires.
And then one day after dinner, when all the king's associates, except for Sinbad, went home, King Taigamus said to Sinbad:
O Sinbad, you have become dearer to me than all my associates, and I cannot part with you. I have a big request for you. Promise me that you will fulfill it.
Tell me what your request is, - Sinbad answered. - You were kind to me, and I cannot disobey you.
Stay with us forever, - said the king. - I will find you a good wife, and you will be in my city no worse than in Baghdad.
Hearing the words of the king, Sinbad was very upset. He still hoped to return someday to Baghdad, and now he had to give up hope. After all, Sindbad could not refuse the king!
Let it be your way, O king, he said. I will stay here forever.
The king immediately ordered Sinbad to have a room in the palace and married him to the daughter of his vizier.
Sinbad lived for several more years in the city of King Taigamus and gradually began to forget Baghdad. He made friends among the inhabitants of the city, everyone loved and respected him.
And one day early in the morning one of his friends named Abu-Man-sur came to him. His clothes were torn, and his turban had slid to one side; he wringed his hands and sobbed bitterly.
What is the matter with you, Abu-Mansur? - asked Sinbad.
My wife died last night, his friend answered.
Sinbad began to console him, but Abu-Mansur continued to weep bitterly, hitting his chest with his hands.
O Abu Mansur, - said Sinbad, - what's the use of killing yourself like that? Time will pass and you will be comforted. You are still young and will live long.
And suddenly Abu-Mansur began to cry even harder and exclaimed:
How can you say that I will live long when I have only one day left to live! Tomorrow you will lose me and you will never see me again.
Why? - asked Sinbad. - You are healthy, and you are not in danger of death.
Tomorrow they will bury my wife, and they will also lower me into the grave with her, - said Abu-Man-sur. - In our country, this is the custom: when a woman dies, her husband is buried alive with her, and when a man dies, with him bury his wife together. "This is a very bad custom," thought Sinbad. "It's good that I'm a foreigner and they won't bury me alive."
He did his best to console Abu-Mansur and promised that he would ask the king to save him from such a terrible death. But when Sinbad came to the king and expressed his request to him, the king shook his head and said:
Ask for whatever you want, Sinbad, but not about this. I cannot break the custom of my ancestors. Tomorrow your friend will be lowered into the grave.
O king, - asked Sinbad, - and if the wife of a stranger dies, will her husband also be buried with her?
Yes, the king replied. But don't worry about yourself. Your wife is still too young and probably won't die before you.
When Sinbad heard these words, he was very upset and frightened. Sad, he returned to his room and since then all the time he thought about one thing - so that his wife would not fall ill with a fatal disease. A little time passed, and what he feared happened. His wife fell seriously ill and died a few days later.
The king and all the inhabitants of the city came, according to custom, to console Sinbad. Her best jewels were put on his wife, her body was put on a stretcher and carried to a high mountain, which was not far from the city. A deep hole was dug at the top of the mountain, covered with a heavy stone. The stretcher with the body of Sinbad's wife was tied with ropes and, having lifted a stone, lowered it into the grave. And then King Taigamus and Sinbad's friends approached him and began to say goodbye to him. Poor Sinbad realized that the hour of his death had come. He started to run, shouting:
I am a foreigner and should not submit to your customs! I don't want to die in this hole!
But no matter how Sinbad fought back, he was nevertheless led to a terrible pit. They gave him a jug of water and seven bread cakes with him, and, tying him with ropes, lowered him into a pit. And then the pit was filled up with a stone, and the king and everyone who was with him went back to the city.
Poor Sinbad found himself in a grave, among the dead. At first he couldn't see anything, but as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed a faint light coming into the grave from above. The stone that closed the entrance to the grave did not adhere tightly to its edges, and a thin ray of the sun made its way into the cave.
The whole cave was full of the dead - men and women. They were wearing their best dresses and jewels. Despair and grief seized Sinbad.
“Now I can’t be saved,” he thought. “No one can get out of this grave.”
A few hours later, the sunbeam that illuminated the cave went out, and it became completely dark around Sindbad. Sinbad was very hungry. He ate a cake, drank some water and fell asleep right on the ground, among the dead.
A day, another, and after it the third, Sinbad spent in a terrible cave. He tried to eat as little as possible so that the food would last for a longer period, but on the third day in the evening he swallowed the last piece of the cake and washed it down with the last sip of water. Now all he had to do was wait for death.
Sinbad spread his cloak on the ground and lay down. He lay awake all night, remembering his native Baghdad, friends and acquaintances. Only in the morning his eyes closed, and he fell asleep.
He woke up from a faint rustle: someone with grunts and snorts scraped the stone walls of the cave with their claws. Sinbad jumped to his feet and went in the direction of the noise. Someone ran past him, pawing his paws.
“It must be some wild animal,” thought Sinbad. “Smelling a man, he got frightened and ran away. But how did he get into the cave?
Sinbad rushed after the beast and soon saw a light in the distance, which became brighter the closer Sinbad approached him. Soon Sinbad found himself in front of a large hole. Sinbad went out through the hole and found himself on the mountainside. The sea waves crashed against its foot with a roar.
It was joyful in Sinbad's soul, again he had hope for salvation.
“After all, ships pass by this place,” he thought. “Maybe some ship will pick me up. And even if I die here, it will be better than dying in this cave full of the dead.
Sinbad sat a little on a stone at the entrance to the cave, enjoying the fresh morning air. He began to think about his return to Baghdad, to friends and acquaintances, and he became sad that he would return to them ruined, without a single dirham. And suddenly he slapped his forehead with his hand and said loudly:
I grieve that I will return to Baghdad a beggar, and not far from me are such riches that are not in the treasuries of the Persian kings! The cave is full of the dead, men and women who have been lowered into it for many hundreds of years. And with them, their best jewels are lowered into the grave. These jewels will disappear in the cave without any use. If I take some of them for myself, no one will suffer from this.
Sinbad immediately returned to the cave and began to collect rings, necklaces, earrings and bracelets scattered on the ground. He tied it all up in his cloak and carried the bundle of jewels out of the cave. He spent several days on the seashore, eating grass, fruits, roots and berries, which he gathered in the forest on the mountainside, and from morning to evening he looked at the sea. Finally, he saw in the distance, on the waves, a ship that was heading towards him.
In an instant, Sinbad tore off his shirt, tied it to a thick stick and began to run along the shore, waving it in the air. The watchman, who was sitting on the mast of the ship, noticed his signs, and the captain ordered the ship to be stopped not far from the coast. Without waiting for a boat to be sent for him, Sinbad threw himself into the water and reached the ship in a few strokes. A minute later he was already standing on deck, surrounded by sailors, and told his story. From the sailors he learned that their ship was going from India to Basra. The captain willingly agreed to take Sinbad to this city and took from him in payment only one precious stone, though the largest.
A month later, the ship safely reached Basra. From there Sinbad the Sailor went to Baghdad. He put the jewels he had brought with him into the pantry and lived again in his house, happy and joyful.
Thus ended the fourth journey of Sinbad.
5. Sinbad the Sailor (fifth voyage)
A little time passed, and again Sinbad got bored with living in his beautiful house in the City of the World. Anyone who has ever sailed the sea, who is used to falling asleep under the howling and whistling of the wind, does not sit on solid ground.
And then one day he had to go on business to Basra, from where he began his travels more than once. He again saw this rich, cheerful city, where the sky is always so blue and the sun shines so brightly, he saw ships with high masts and colorful sails, he heard the cries of sailors unloading outlandish overseas goods from the holds, and he wanted so much to travel, that he did not hesitate to set out on his journey.
Ten days later, Sinbad was already sailing on the sea in a large, strong ship loaded with goods. There were several other merchants with him, and the ship was led by an old, experienced captain with a large team of sailors.
For two days and two nights, Sinbad's ship sailed on the high seas, and on the third day, when the sun was just above the heads of the travelers, a small rocky island appeared in the distance. The captain ordered to go to this island, and when the ship approached its shores, everyone saw that in the middle of the island rises a huge dome, white and sparkling, with a sharp top. Sinbad at that time was sleeping on the deck in the shade of the sail.
Hey captain! Stop the ship! - Sinbad's companions shouted.
The captain ordered to anchor, and all the merchants and sailors jumped ashore. When the ship anchored, the shock woke Sinbad, and he went to the middle of the deck to see why the ship had stopped. And suddenly he saw that all the merchants and sailors were standing around the huge white dome and trying to break through it with crowbars and hooks.
Do not do that! You will perish! - shouted Sinbad.
He immediately realized that this dome was the egg of the Rukhh bird, the same as the one he had seen on his first trip. If the Rukhh bird flies in and sees that it has been smashed, all sailors and merchants will not escape death.
But Sinbad's comrades did not listen to him and began to hit the egg even harder. Finally, the shell cracked. Water poured out of the egg. Then a long beak appeared from it, followed by a head and paws: there was a chick in the egg. If the egg had not been broken, it would probably have hatched soon.
The sailors grabbed the chick, roasted it and began to eat. Only Sinbad did not touch his meat. He ran around his comrades and shouted:
Finish quickly, otherwise Ruhh will fly in and kill you! And suddenly a loud whistle and a deafening flapping of wings were heard in the air. The merchants looked up and rushed to the ship. Right above their heads, the bird Ruhh was flying. In her claws, two huge snakes writhed. Seeing that her egg was broken, the Rukhh bird screamed so much that people fell to the ground in fear and buried their heads in the sand. The bird released its prey from its claws, circled in the air and disappeared from view. The merchants and sailors got to their feet and ran to the sea. They weighed anchor, unfurled their sails, and sailed as fast as they could to escape the dreaded Rukhh bird.
The monstrous bird was not visible, and the travelers were already beginning to calm down, but suddenly the flapping of wings was heard again, and the Rukhh bird appeared in the distance, but not alone. Another similar bird flew with her, even bigger and more terrible than the first. It was a Ruhh male. Each bird carried in its claws a huge stone - a whole rock.
Sinbad's comrades ran around the deck, not knowing where to hide from the angry birds. Some lay down on the deck, others hid behind the masts, and the captain froze motionless in place, raising his hands to the sky. He was so scared that he couldn't move.
Suddenly there was a terrible blow, like a shot from the biggest cannon, and waves came over the sea. It was one of the birds that threw a stone, but missed. Seeing this, the second Rukhh screamed loudly and released his stone from his claws just above the ship. The stone fell to the stern. The ship creaked plaintively, rolled over, straightened up again, tossed by the wave, and began to sink. The waves flooded the deck and carried away all the merchants and sailors. Only Sinbad was saved. He grabbed the ship's board with his hand and, when the waves subsided, climbed onto it.
For two days and three nights, Sinbad rushed across the sea, and finally, on the third day, the waves nailed him to an unknown land. Sinbad climbed ashore and looked around. It seemed to him that he was not on an island, in the middle of the sea, but at home, in Baghdad, in his wonderful garden. His feet trod on soft green grass dotted with variegated flowers. Tree branches bent from the weight of the fruit. Round sparkling oranges, fragrant lemons, pomegranates, pears, apples seemed to be asking for your mouth. Small colorful birds chirped loudly in the air. Beside the fast, silvery streams, gazelles jumped and played. They were not afraid of Sinbad, because they had never seen people and did not know that they should be afraid.
Sinbad was so tired that he could hardly stand on his feet. He drank water from a stream, lay down under a tree and picked a large apple from a branch, but did not even have time to bite off a piece of it, and fell asleep holding the apple in his hand.
When he woke up, the sun was high again and the birds chirped just as merrily in the trees: Sinbad slept all day and all night. Only now did he feel how hungry he was, and greedily pounced on the fruits.
Having refreshed himself a little, he got up and walked along the shore. He wanted to explore this wonderful land, and he hoped to meet people who would lead him to some city.
Sinbad walked along the shore for a long time. But I didn't see a single person. Finally, he decided to rest a bit and turned into a small wood, where it was cooler.
And suddenly he sees: under a tree, by a stream, sits a small man with a long wavy gray beard, dressed in a shirt of leaves and girded with grass. This old chok was sitting by the water's edge, his legs crossed, and looked plaintively at Sinbad.
Peace be with you, O old man! - said Sinbad. - Who are you and what is this island? Why are you sitting alone by this stream?
The old man did not answer Sinbad a single word, but showed him with signs: "Carry me across the stream."
Sinbad thought: “If I carry him across the stream, nothing bad will come of it, and it never interferes with doing a good deed. Maybe the old man will show me how to find people on the island who will help me get to Baghdad.
And he went up to the old man, put him on his shoulders and carried him across the stream.
On the other side, Sinbad knelt down and said to the old man:
Get down, we're already here.
But the old man only clung to him tighter and wrapped his legs around his neck.
How long are you going to sit on my shoulders, nasty old man? - Sindbad shouted and wanted to throw the old man to the ground.
And suddenly the old man laughed out loud and squeezed Sinbad's neck with his legs so that he almost suffocated.
Woe to me! - exclaimed Sinbad. - I ran away from the ogre, outwitted the snake and forced Rukhha to carry myself, and now I myself will have to carry this nasty old man! Let him fall asleep, I will immediately drown him in the sea! And it won't be long until evening.
But evening came, and the old man did not even think of getting off Sinbad's neck. He fell asleep on his shoulders and only parted his legs a little. And when Sinbad tried to gently push him off his back, the old man grumbled in his sleep and hit Sinbad painfully with his heels. His legs were thin and long, like whips.
And the unfortunate Sinbad turned into a pack camel.
For whole days he had to run with the old man on his back from one tree to another and from stream to stream. If he walked more quietly, the old man severely beat him with his heels on the sides and squeezed his neck with his knees.
So a lot of time passed - a month or more.
And then one day at noon, when the sun was especially hot, the old man fell asleep soundly on Sinbad's shoulders, and Sinbad decided to rest somewhere under a tree. He began to look for a shady place and went out to a clearing in which many large pumpkins grew; some of them were dry. Sinbad was very happy when he saw the pumpkin.
"They will probably come in handy for me," he thought. "Perhaps they will even help me throw off this cruel old man."
He immediately chose a few larger gourds and hollowed them out with a sharp stick. So he took the ripest grapes, filled the gourds with it, and sealed them tightly with leaves. He exposed the pumpkins to the sun and left the clearing, dragging the old man on his back. For three days he did not return to the clearing. On the fourth day, Sinbad again came to his pumpkins (the old man, like that time, slept on his shoulders) and took out the corks with which he plugged the pumpkins. A strong smell hit his nose: the grapes began to ferment, and its juice turned into wine. This was just what Sinbad needed. He carefully took out the grapes and squeezed their juice right into the gourds, then corked them again and put them in the shade. Now we had to wait for the old man to wake up.
Sinbad never wanted him to wake up as soon as possible. Finally, the old man began to fidget on Sinbad's shoulders and kicked him. Then Sinbad took the largest pumpkin, uncorked it and drank a little.
The wine was strong and sweet. Sinbad clicked his tongue with pleasure and began to dance in one place, shaking the old man. And the old man saw that Sinbad got drunk on something tasty, and he also wanted to try it. “Give it to me too,” he showed Sinbad with signs.
Sinbad gave him a pumpkin, and the old man drank all the juice from it in one go. He had never tasted wine before, and he liked it very much. Soon he began to sing and laugh, clapped his hands and pounded his fist on Sinbad's neck.
But then the old man began to sing more and more quietly, and at last fell sound asleep, hanging his head on his chest. His legs gradually unclenched, and Sinbad easily threw him off his back. How pleasant it seemed to Sinbad to finally straighten his shoulders and straighten up!
Sinbad left the old man and wandered around the island all day. He lived on the island for many more days and kept walking along the seashore, looking for a sail somewhere. And at last he saw a large ship in the distance, which was approaching the island. Sinbad screamed with joy and began to run back and forth and wave his arms, and when the ship came closer, Sinbad rushed to the water and swam towards him. The captain of the ship noticed Sinbad and ordered to stop his ship. Sinbad, like a cat, climbed on board and at first he could not say a single word, he only hugged the captain and the sailors and cried with joy. The sailors spoke loudly among themselves, but Sinbad did not understand them. There was not a single Arab among them, and none of them spoke Arabic. They fed and clothed Sinbad and gave him a place in their cabin. And Sinbad rode with them for many days and nights, until the ship landed in some city.
It was a big city with tall white houses and wide streets. From all sides it was surrounded by steep mountains, overgrown with dense forest.
Sinbad went ashore and went to wander around the city.
The streets and squares were full of people; all the people that Sinbad came across in the meeting were black, with white teeth and red lips. On the large square was the main city market. There were many shops in which merchants from all countries traded, selling their goods - Persians, Indians, Franks, Turks, Chinese.
Sinbad stood in the middle of the market and looked around. And suddenly a man in a dressing gown, with a large white turban on his head, walked past him and stopped at a coppersmith's shop. Sinbad looked at him carefully and said to himself:
“This man has exactly the same dressing gown as my friend Hadji Mohammed from Red Street, and his turban is folded in our way. I will go to him and ask if he is from Baghdad.”
And the man in the turban, meanwhile, chose a large shiny basin and a jug with a long narrow neck, gave two gold dinars to the tinker for them, and went back. When he caught up with Sinbad, he bowed low to him and said:
Peace be upon you, O venerable merchant! Tell me where you come from - is it not from Baghdad, the City of the World?
Greetings to you, fellow countryman! - the merchant answered joyfully. - By the way you speak, I immediately recognized that you were from Baghdad. I have been living in this city for ten years and have never heard Arabic speech until now. Come to me and talk about Baghdad, about its gardens and squares.
The merchant hugged Sinbad tightly and pressed him to his chest. He took Sinbad to his house, gave him drink and food, and until the evening they talked about Baghdad and its wonders. Sinbad was so pleased to remember his homeland that he did not even ask Baghdad what his name was and what the name of the city in which he was now located was. And when it began to get dark, the Baghdadian said to Sinbad:
O countryman, I want to save your life and make you rich. Listen to me carefully and do whatever I tell you. Know that this city is called the City of Blacks and all its inhabitants are Zinji (as the Arabs called black Africans). They live in their houses only during the day, and in the evening they get into boats and go to the sea. As soon as night falls, monkeys come to the city from the forest and if they meet people on the street, they kill them. And in the morning the monkeys leave again, and the Zinji return. Soon it will be completely dark, and the monkeys will come to the city. Get in the boat with me and let's go, otherwise the monkeys will kill you.
Thank you, fellow countryman! - exclaimed Sinbad. - Tell me what your name is, so that I know who showed me mercy.
My name is Mansur the Flat-nosed, - answered the Baghdadian. - Let's go quickly, if you don't want to fall into the clutches of the monkeys.
Sinbad and Mansur left the house and went to the sea. All the streets were full of people. Men, women and children ran towards the pier, hurrying, stumbling and falling.
Arriving at the harbor, Mansur untied his boat and jumped into it with Sinbad. They drove a little from the shore, and Mansur said:
Now the monkeys will enter the city. Look!
And suddenly the mountains surrounding the Black City were covered with moving lights. The lights rolled from top to bottom and got bigger and bigger. Finally, they came quite close to the city, and monkeys appeared in a large square, carrying torches in their front paws, lighting the way.
The monkeys scattered around the market, sat down in the shops and began to trade. Some were selling, others were buying. In the taverns, monkey cooks fried rams, boiled rice and baked bread. Buyers, also monkeys, tried on clothes, chose dishes, materials, quarreled and fought among themselves. This went on until dawn; when the sky in the east began to lighten, the monkeys lined up and left the city, and the inhabitants returned to their homes.
Mansur the Flat-nosed brought Sinbad to his home and said to him:
I have been living in the City of Blacks for a long time, and I yearned for my homeland. Soon you and I will go to Baghdad, but first you need to make more money so that you will not be ashamed to return home. Listen to what I tell you. The mountains around the Black City are covered with forest. There are many palm trees with beautiful coconuts in this forest. The Zind-ji are very fond of these nuts and are ready to give a lot of gold and precious stones for each of them. But the palm trees in the forest are so tall that no man can reach the nuts, and no one knows how to get them. And I will teach you. Tomorrow we will go to the forest, and you will return from there a rich man.
The next morning, as soon as the monkeys left the city, Mansur took out two large heavy bags from the storeroom, heaved one of them over his shoulders, and the other ordered to carry Sinbad and said:
Follow me and see what I do. Do the same and you'll have more nuts than anyone else in this city.
Sinbad and Mansur went into the forest and walked for a very long time, an hour or two. Finally they stopped in front of a large palm grove. There were many monkeys here. Seeing the people, they climbed to the tops of the trees, bared their teeth ferociously and grunted loudly. Sinbad was frightened at first and wanted to run away, but Mansur stopped him and said:
Open your bag and see what's in there. Sinbad untied the bag and saw that it was full of round, smooth pebbles - pebbles. Mansur also untied his bag, took out a handful of pebbles and threw them at the monkeys. The monkeys screamed even louder, began to jump from one palm tree to another, trying to hide from the stones. But wherever they ran, Mansoor's stones got them everywhere. Then the monkeys began to pick nuts from the palm trees and throw them at Sinbad and Mansur. Mansur and Sindbad ran between the palm trees, lay down, crouched, hid behind the trunks, and only one or two nuts thrown by the monkeys hit the target.
Soon the whole earth around them was covered with large, choice nuts. When there were no more stones left in the bags, Mansur and Sinbad filled them with nuts and returned to the city. They sold the nuts in the market and received so much gold and valuables for them that they hardly brought them home.
The next day they again went to the forest and again collected the same number of nuts. So they went to the forest for ten days.
Finally, when all the pantries in Mansur's house were full, and there was nowhere to put the gold, Mansur said to Sinbad:
Now we can hire a ship and go to Baghdad.
They went to the sea, chose the largest ship, filled its hold with gold and jewels, and set sail. This time the wind was fair, and no misfortune could hold them back.
They arrived in Basra, hired a caravan of camels, loaded them with jewels and set off for Baghdad.
The wife and relatives joyfully greeted Sinbad. Sinbad distributed a lot of gold and precious stones to his friends and acquaintances and lived quietly in his house. Again, as before, merchants began to come to him and listen to stories about what he had seen and experienced during the journey.
Thus ended the fifth journey of Sinbad.
6. Sinbad the Sailor (sixth voyage)
But a little time passed, and Sinbad again wanted to go to foreign countries. Sinbad quickly got ready and went to Basra. Again he chose a good ship for himself, recruited a team of sailors and set off.
For twenty days and twenty nights his ship sailed, driven by a favorable wind. And on the twenty-first day, a storm arose and a heavy rain fell, from which the packs of goods stacked on deck got wet. The ship began to toss from side to side like a feather. Sinbad and his companions were very frightened. They approached the captain and asked him:
O captain, tell us where we are and how far is the land?
The captain of the ship tightened his belt, climbed the mast and looked in all directions. And suddenly he quickly descended from the mast, tore off his turban and began to shout and cry loudly.
Oh captain, what's the matter? - Sinbad asked him.
Know, - answered the captain, - that our last hour has come. The wind drove our ship away and threw it into an unknown sea. To every ship that reaches this sea, a fish comes out of the water and swallows it with everything that is on it.
Before he had time to finish these words, Sinbad's ship began to rise and fall on the waves, and the travelers heard a terrible roar. And suddenly a fish swam up to the ship, like a high mountain, and behind it another, even larger than the first, and the third - so huge that the other two seemed tiny in front of it, and Sinbad stopped understanding what was happening, and prepared to die.
And the third fish opened its mouth to swallow the ship and all who were on it, but suddenly a strong wind arose, the ship was lifted by a wave, and it rushed forward. The ship raced for a long time, driven by the wind, and finally ran into a rocky shore and crashed. All sailors and merchants fell into the water and drowned. Only Sinbad managed to cling to a rock sticking out of the water near the shore, and get out onto land.
He looked around and saw that he was on an island where there were many trees, birds and flowers. Sinbad wandered around the island for a long time in search of fresh water and finally saw a small stream that flowed through a clearing overgrown with thick grass. Sinbad drank water from the stream and ate roots. After resting a little, he followed the course of the stream, and the stream led him to a large river, fast and turbulent. Tall, spreading trees grew on the banks of the river - tech, aloe and sandalwood.
Sinbad lay down under a tree and fell asleep soundly. Waking up, he refreshed himself a little with fruits and roots, then went to the river and stood on the bank, looking at its fast swarm.
This river, he told himself, must have a beginning and an end. If I make a small raft and float down the river on it, the water might carry me to some city.”
He gathered thick twigs and branches under the trees and tied them up, and on top he laid several boards - the wreckage of ships that had crashed near the shore. Thus, an excellent raft turned out. Sinbad pushed the raft into the river, stood on it and swam. The current quickly carried the raft, and soon Sinbad saw a high mountain in front of him, in which the water broke through a narrow passage. Sinbad wanted to stop the raft or turn it back, but the water was stronger than him and pulled the raft downhill. At first it was still light under the mountain, but the farther the current carried the raft, the darker it became. Finally, deep darkness fell. Suddenly Sinbad hit his head painfully against a stone. The passage became lower and narrower, and the raft rubbed its sides against the walls of the mountain. Soon Sinbad had to kneel, then on all fours: the raft was barely moving forward.
“What if it stops?” thought Sinbad. “What will I do under this dark mountain then?”
Sinbad did not feel that the current was still pushing the raft forward.
He lay face down on the boards and closed his eyes - it seemed to him that the walls of the mountain were about to crush him along with his raft.
He lay like this for a long time, every minute expecting death, and finally fell asleep, weakened by excitement and fatigue.
When he awoke it was light and the raft was motionless. He was tied to a long stick stuck in the bottom of the river near the bank. And there was a crowd of people on the beach. They pointed at Sinbad with their fingers and spoke loudly to each other in some incomprehensible language.
Seeing that Sinbad woke up, people on the shore parted, and a tall old man with a long gray beard, dressed in an expensive dressing gown, stepped out of the crowd. He kindly said something to Sinbad, holding out his hand to him, but Sinbad shook his head several times as a sign that he did not understand, and said:
What kind of people are you and what is the name of your country?
Then everyone on the shore shouted: “Arab, Arab!”, And another old man, dressed even more elegantly than the first, went up to the very water and said to Sinbad in pure Arabic:
Peace be with you, stranger! Who will you be and where did you come from? For what reason did you come to us and how did you find the way?
Who are you and what kind of land is this?
O my brother, - answered the old man, - we are peaceful farmers. We came for water to water our crops, and we saw that you were sleeping on a raft, and then we caught your raft and tied it to our shore. Tell me, where are you from and why did you come to us?
O lord, - Sinbad answered, - I beg you, give me food and drink me, and then ask about anything you want.
Come with me to my house,” said the old man.
He took Sinbad to his home, fed him, and Sinbad lived with him for several days. And then one morning the old man said to him:
O my brother, would you like to go with me to the riverbank and sell your goods?
“And what kind of goods do I have?” thought Sinbad, but nevertheless decided to go with the old man to the river.
We will take your goods to the market,” the old man continued, “and if they give you a good price for it, you will sell it, and if not, you will keep it.
Okay, - said Sinbad and followed the old man. Arriving at the bank of the river, he looked at the place where his raft was tied, and saw that the raft was gone.
Where is my raft on which I sailed to you? he asked the old man.
Here, - the old man answered and pointed with his finger at a pile of sticks dumped on the shore. - This is your product, and there is nothing more expensive than it in our countries. Know that your raft was bound from pieces of precious wood.
But how can I return from here to my homeland in Baghdad if I don’t have a raft? - Said Sinbad. - No, I won’t sell it.
O my friend, said the old man, forget about Baghdad and your homeland. We can't let you go. If you return to your country, you will tell people about our land, and they will come and conquer us. Don't think about leaving. Live with us and be our guest until you die, and we will sell your raft in the market, and for it they will give so much food that you will have enough for a lifetime.
And poor Sinbad was a prisoner on the island. He sold the branches from which his raft was tied in the market, and received many precious goods for them. But this did not please Sinbad. He only thought about how to return to his homeland.
For many days he lived in a city on an island with an old man; he made many friends among the inhabitants of the island. And then one day Sinbad went out for a walk and saw that the streets of the city were empty. He did not meet a single man - only children and women came across to him on the road.
Sinbad stopped one boy and asked him:
Where have all the men who live in the city gone? Or are you at war?
No, the boy replied, we are not at war. Don't you know that every year all the big men on our island grow wings and fly away from the island? And after six days they return, and their wings fall off.
Indeed, after six days all the men returned again, and life in the city went on as before.
Sinbad also really wanted to fly through the air. When another eleven months passed, Sinbad decided to ask one of his friends to take him with him. But no matter how much he asked, no one agreed. Only his best friend, a copper-nick from the main city market, finally decided to fulfill Sinbad's request and told him:
At the end of this month, come to the mountain near the city gates. I will wait for you at this mountain and take you with me.
On the appointed day, Sinbad came to the mountain early in the morning. The coppersmith was already waiting for him there. Instead of arms, he had broad wings of shining white feathers.
He ordered Sinbad to sit on his back and said:
Now I will fly with you over lands, mountains and seas. But remember the condition that I will tell you: while we are flying, be silent and do not utter a single word. If you open your mouth, we'll both die.
Well, - said Sinbad. - I will be silent. He climbed onto the tinker's shoulders, and he spread his wings and flew high into the air. He flew for a long time, rising higher and higher, and the land below seemed to Sinbad no more than a cup thrown into the sea. And Sinbad could not resist and exclaimed:
Here is a miracle!
Before he had time to utter these words, the wings of the bird-man hung helplessly and he began to slowly fall down.
Fortunately for Sinbad, at that time they were just flying over some big river. Therefore, Sinbad did not crash, but only hurt himself on the water. But the coppersmith, his friend, had a bad time. The feathers on his wings got wet, and he sank like a stone.
Sinbad managed to swim to the shore and land. He took off his wet clothes, wringed them out and looked around, not knowing where he was on the ground. And suddenly, from behind a stone lying on the road, a snake crawled out, holding in its mouth a man with a long gray beard. This man waved his arms and shouted loudly:
Save! Whoever saves me, I will give half of my wealth!
Without thinking twice, Sinbad picked up a heavy stone from the ground and threw it at the snake. Ka-men broke the snake in half, and she released her victim from her mouth. The man ran up to Sinbad and exclaimed, crying with joy:
Who are you, O good stranger? Tell me what your name is so that my children will know who saved their father.
My name is Sinbad the Sailor, - Sinbad answered. - And you? What is your name and what land are we in?
My name is Hassan the Jeweler, - the man replied. - We are in the land of Egypt, not far from the glorious city of Cairo, and this river is the Nile. Come to my house, I want to reward you for your good deed. I will give you half of my goods and money, and this is a lot, since I have been trading in the main market for fifty years and have long been a foreman of Cairo merchants.
Hasan, the jeweler, kept his word and gave Sinbad half of his money and goods. Other jewelers also wanted to reward Sinbad for saving their foreman, and Sinbad ended up with as much money and jewelry as he had never had before. He bought the finest Egyptian goods, loaded all his wealth on camels, and left Cairo for Baghdad.
After a long journey, he returned to his hometown, where they no longer hoped to see him alive.
Sinbad's wife and friends calculated how many years he traveled, and it turned out - twenty-seven years.
It's enough for you to travel to foreign countries, - his wife said to Sinbad. - Stay with us and don't leave anymore.
Everyone so persuaded Sinbad that he finally agreed and swore an oath not to travel again. For a long time the Baghdad merchants went to him to listen to stories about his amazing adventures, and he lived happily until death came to him.
Here is everything that has come down to us about the travels of Sinbad the Sailor.
During the reign of Caliph Harun ar-Rashid, a poor man named Sinbad lived in the city of Baghdad. To feed himself, he carried weights on his head for a fee. But there were many poor porters like him, and therefore Sinbad could not ask for his work as much as he was supposed to.
He had to be content with miserable pennies, so that he almost died of hunger.
Once he carried heavy carpets on his head, could barely move his legs, sweat rolled off him in hail, his head was buzzing, and it seemed to the poor fellow that he was about to lose consciousness. Sinbad was passing just past one house, and a coolness blew on him from the gate, and his head was spinning from the smell of delicious food. A stone bench stood in the shade in front of the house. Sinbad could not stand it, put the carpets on the ground and sat down on a bench to rest and breathe fresh air. Cheerful voices were heard from the house, marvelous singing, the clink of glasses and dishes were heard.
Who needs such a life?
Only hunger and want.
Others, basking in idleness,
Spend their days in fun
Not knowing grief and
But they, like me and you,
And though their riches are innumerable,
After all, all people are mortal.
Well, is it fair
That only the rich live happy?
When he had finished, a young servant in an expensive dress came out of the gate.
My master has heard your poems,” said the young man. - He invites you to have dinner with him and spend the evening together.
Sinbad was frightened and began to say that he had done nothing wrong. But the young man gave him a friendly smile, took him by the hand, and the porter had to accept the invitation. Such luxury, which was in that house, Sinbad had never seen in his life. Servants scurried back and forth with dishes full of rare dishes, wonderful music was heard everywhere, and Sinbad decided that he was dreaming of all this. The young man led the porter into a small room. There at the table sat an important gentleman, more like a scientist than a deceiver. The owner nodded to Sinbad and invited him to the table.
What is your name? he asked the porter.
Sinbad the porter, the poor man answered.
My name is also Sinbad, people called me Sinbad the Sailor, and you will now find out why. I heard your poems and I liked them. So know that it was not only you who had to experience need and hardship. I will tell you about everything that I experienced before I achieved the honor and wealth that you see here. But first you must eat.
Sinbad the porter did not force himself to be persuaded and pounced on the food. And when Sinbad the Sailor saw that the guest was enjoying his rest and already full, he said:
I've told you a hundred times what you're about to hear. I don't have anyone to tell about this. And it seems to me that you
understand me better than others. Sinbad the porter did not dare to object, he only nodded, and his namesake Sinbad the sailor began his story.
My father was a rich merchant and I was his only son. When he died, I inherited all his property. And everything that my father accumulated during his life, I managed to squander in one year in the company of idlers and lazy people like me. All I have left is the vineyard. I sold it, bought various goods with the proceeds and joined the caravan of merchants who were going to go to distant overseas countries. I hoped that I would sell my goods there at a profit and become rich again.
We went with the merchants to sail on the sea. We sailed for many days and nights, from time to time landed on the shore, exchanged or sold our goods and bought new ones. I liked the journey, my wallet was getting thicker, and I had already stopped regretting a frivolous and carefree life. I carefully watched how people live in foreign countries, was interested in their customs, studied their languages and felt excellent.
And for many more days and nights Sinbad's ship sailed from sea to sea. And then one day a sailor on the mast shouted:
Coast! Coast!
So we sailed to a wonderful island, overgrown with dense forest. The trees were covered with fruits, unseen flowers were fragrant, and streams with crystal-clear water rustled everywhere. We went down to the shore to take a break from the heaving in this piece of paradise. Some enjoyed juicy fruits, others made a fire and began to cook food, others bathed in cool streams or walked around the island.
So we enjoyed the peace, when suddenly we heard the loud cry of the captain, who remained on the ship.
He waved his arms and shouted:
Save yourself who can! Run to the ship! This is not an island, but the back of a huge fish!
And indeed, it was not an island, but the back of a monstrous fish, towering above the water. Over the years, sand has been deposited on it, the wind has carried seeds of plants there, and trees and flowers have grown there. All this happened only because the fish fell asleep a hundred years ago and did not move until the fire woke it up,
which we lit. The fish felt something burning its back and turned around.
One by one we jumped into the sea and swam to the ship. But not everyone managed to escape. Suddenly, the island fish struck the water with its tail and sank into the depths of the sea. The roaring waves closed over the trees and flowers, and I, along with the others, found myself under water.
Fortunately, I clung to the wooden trough, which we brought to the island to draw fresh water into it. I did not let go of the trough from my hands, even though my soul went into my heels. It spun with me underwater until I finally surfaced. I sat on the trough astride, began to row with my feet and sailed in this strange canoe for one day and one night; all around, wherever you looked, there was water, an endless expanse of sea.
I languished under the scorching sun, suffered from hunger and thirst. And suddenly, when it seemed to me that my end was near, I saw a green strip of land on the horizon. I strained my last strength and, when the sun had already begun to sink into the sea, I sailed on my trough to the island. From the island came the singing of birds and the scent of flowers.
I went ashore. The first thing that caught my eye was a spring gushing out of a rock that was overgrown with ferns. I leaned against him with burning lips and drank until, as if a dead man, fell on the grass. The sound of the sea and the singing of birds lulled me, and the wonderful aroma of flowers acted like a dope.
I woke up the next day when the sun was already high. After eating fruit and drinking from the spring, I went to the interior of the island to look around.
I walked under the spreading crowns of trees, made my way through thickets dotted with flowers, but nowhere did I meet a soul. Only a couple of times I scared the timid monkeys.
For several days I wandered along the seashore, looking for a sail somewhere. Finally I saw a big ship. The captain of the ship noticed me on the shore of the island and ordered the ship to be stopped. Then I went on board and told the captain about the extraordinary adventure on Fish Island.
And my new journey began. For many days the ship sailed on the high seas. Finally, a bizarre island appeared in the distance. A huge white dome towered over him.
The ship landed on the shore. Merchants and sailors rushed to the white dome and tried to break through it with crowbars and hooks.
Stop! You will perish! I shouted. - This dome is the egg of the bird of prey Ruhh. - If the Rukhh bird sees that the egg is broken, everyone will not escape death!
But no one listened to me. Merchants and sailors hit the egg even harder. When the shell cracked, a huge chick emerged from the egg.
And suddenly, high in the sky, a loud whistle and a deafening flapping of wings were heard. Merchants in horror rushed to the ship. The bird Rukhh flew high above their heads. Seeing that the egg was broken, she screamed terribly, made several circles over the island and flew away.
The sailors raised the anchors, spread the sails, and the ship sailed faster and faster, escaping from the terrible bird. Suddenly, a terrible noise was heard. The ruhh bird was flying straight at the ship. Beside her, wings fluttering wildly, a Rukh-male flew. Bali birds hold huge stones in their claws.
There was a deafening blow, like a cannon shot. One of the stones fell on the stern. The ship crackled, heeled over and began to sink.
I was very lucky, a fragment of a ship's plank happened to be under my hands, for which I grabbed a stranglehold. For two days and three nights I sailed on the high seas.
On the third day, the waves washed me against the shores of an unknown land. Having got out on the shore, I saw a city surrounded by high mountains.
I decided to enter this city and wander a little through its streets. There was a market on a large square. Merchants of all countries traded here - Persians, Indians, Franks, Turks, Chinese. I stood in the middle of the market and looked around. A man in a robe and a large white turban walked past me.
I rushed to him:
- "Oh, venerable merchant, tell me where you come from - maybe from Baghdad?"
- "Greetings, o countryman!" - happily answered the Baghdad merchant Mansur.
Mansur brought me to his house.
- "Oh, countryman, I want to save your life. You must do everything I tell you!"
In the evening, Mansur and I went to the sea. Past, stumbling and falling, men, women and children ran to the pier.
- "Now the monkeys will enter the city," said Mansoor. "They come here every night, and it will be bad for those who stay in the city." Therefore, without delay, we got into the boat and quickly set sail from the shore.
And as soon as it got dark, all the mountains were covered with moving lights. These are the monkeys coming down from the mountains. They carried torches in their hands, lighting their way.
Monkeys scattered throughout the market, sat in the shops and began to trade. Some were selling, others were buying. Monkeys-buyers chose clothes, utensils, cloth, quarreled and fought.
At dawn, they lined up in ranks and left the city, and the inhabitants returned to their homes.
Mansur brought me home and said:
- "I have been living here for a long time and longing for my homeland. Soon you and I will go to Baghdad, but first we need to get more money."
The next day, we loaded bags filled with stones and went into the forest. In a large palm grove, Mansur and I saw many monkeys. When we got quite close, the monkeys climbed to the tops of the trees.
Untying our bags, we began to throw stones at the monkeys, and the furious ones tore nuts from the coconut trees and threw them down, trying to hit us.
Each of us quickly filled our bags with selected nuts and returned to the city. We got a lot of money for coconuts, which were very much appreciated in these places.
After that, the merchant Mansur and I went to the sea, chose the largest ship and set off for our homeland. How joyful my family and friends greeted me. For a long time the Baghdad merchants came to me to listen to stories about the amazing travels of Sinbad the Sailor. Sinbad the Sailor finished his story and waited for what Sinbad the Bearer would say. But he was silent. Then the rich owner poured wine into a goblet and said:
Apparently, you did not understand why I told you about my misadventures. I thought it would be instructive for you, I wanted to tell you not to despair, not to curse your fate, even if life seems unbearable. Everything I have, I have earned by hard work. Do not hang your head, because I had a harder time than you, but look around - now I live in paradise.
Sinbad the Sailor invited Sidbad the porter to live in his house until his death. “You will compose poems for me,” he said to his guest, “and together we will reflect on life. But Sinbad the porter politely thanked him for this offer and for his hospitality, said goodbye to Sinbad the sailor and left the house. It was already cold outside. Sinbad the porter put heavy carpets on his head and went on his way. Sinbad the Sailor looked after him from the window and heard him repeating his verses:
Who needs such a life?
Only hunger and want.
basking in idleness,
Spend their days in fun
Not knowing grief and need,
But they, like me and you,
And let their riches be incalculable,
In the end, all people are mortal."
During the reign of Caliph Harun ar-Rashid, a poor man named Sinbad lived in the city of Baghdad. To feed himself, he carried weights on his head for a fee. But there were many poor porters like him, and therefore Sinbad could not ask for his work as much as he was supposed to. He had to be content with miserable pennies, so that he almost died of hunger.
Once he carried heavy carpets on his head, could barely move his legs, sweat rolled off him in hail, his head was buzzing, and it seemed to the poor fellow that he was about to lose consciousness. Sinbad was passing just past one house, and a coolness blew on him from the gate, and his head was spinning from the smell of delicious food. A stone bench stood in the shade in front of the house. Sinbad could not stand it, put the carpets on the ground and sat down on a bench to rest and breathe fresh air. Cheerful voices were heard from the house, marvelous singing, the clink of glasses and dishes were heard.
Who needs such a life?
Only hunger and want.
Others, basking in idleness,
Spend their days in fun
Not knowing grief and need.
But they, like me and you,
And though their riches are innumerable,
After all, all people are mortal.
Well, is it fair
That only the rich live happy?
When he had finished, a young servant in an expensive dress came out of the gate.
My master has heard your poems,” said the young man. - He invites you to have dinner with him and spend the evening together.
Sinbad was frightened and began to say that he had done nothing wrong. But the young man gave him a friendly smile, took him by the hand, and the porter had to accept the invitation.
Such luxury, which was in that house, Sinbad had never seen in his life. Servants scurried back and forth with dishes full of rare dishes, wonderful music was heard everywhere, and Sinbad decided that he was dreaming of all this.
The young man led the porter into a small room. There at the table sat an important gentleman, more like a scientist than a deceiver. The owner nodded to Sinbad and invited him to the table.
What is your name? he asked the porter.
Sinbad the porter, the poor man answered.
My name is also Sinbad, people called me Sinbad the Sailor, and you will now find out why. I heard your poems and I liked them. So know that it was not only you who had to experience need and hardship. I will tell you about everything that I experienced before I achieved the honor and wealth that you see here. But first you must eat.
Sinbad the porter did not force himself to be persuaded and pounced on the food. And when Sinbad the Sailor saw that the guest was enjoying his rest and already full, he said:
I've told you a hundred times what you're about to hear. I don't have anyone to tell about this. And it seems to me that you will understand me better than others. Sinbad the porter did not dare to object, he only nodded, and his namesake Sinbad the sailor began his story.
My father was a rich merchant and I was his only son. When he died, I inherited all his property. And everything that my father accumulated during his life, I managed to squander in one year in the company of idlers and lazy people like me. All I have left is the vineyard. I sold it, bought various goods with the proceeds and joined the caravan of merchants who were going to go to distant overseas countries. I hoped that I would sell my goods there at a profit and become rich again.
We went with the merchants to sail on the sea. We sailed for many days and nights, from time to time landed on the shore, exchanged or sold our goods and bought new ones. I liked the journey, my wallet was getting thicker, and I had already stopped regretting a frivolous and carefree life. I carefully watched how people live in foreign countries, was interested in their customs, studied their languages and felt excellent.
So we sailed to a wonderful island, overgrown with dense forest. The trees were covered with fruits, unseen flowers were fragrant, and streams with crystal-clear water rustled everywhere. We went down to the shore to take a break from the heaving in this piece of paradise. Some enjoyed the juicy fruits, others made a fire and began to cook food, others bathed in cool streams or walked around the island. So we enjoyed peace, when we suddenly heard the loud cry of the captain, who remained on the ship. He waved his arms and shouted:
Save yourself who can! Run to the ship! This is not an island, but the back of a huge fish!
And indeed, it was not an island, but the back of a monstrous fish, towering above the water. Over the years, sand has been deposited on it, the wind has carried seeds of plants there, and trees and flowers have grown there. All this happened only because the fish fell asleep a hundred years ago and did not move until it was awakened by the fire that we lit. The fish felt something burning its back and turned around.
One by one we jumped into the sea and swam to the ship. But not everyone managed to escape. Suddenly, the island fish struck the water with its tail and sank into the depths of the sea. The roaring waves closed over the trees and flowers, and I, along with the others, found myself under water.
Fortunately, I clung to the wooden trough, which we brought to the island to draw fresh water into it. I did not let go of the trough from my hands, even though my soul went into my heels. It spun with me underwater until I finally surfaced. I sat on the trough astride, began to row with my feet and sailed in this strange canoe for one day and one night; all around, wherever you looked, there was water, an endless expanse of sea.
I languished under the scorching sun, suffered from hunger and thirst. And suddenly, when it seemed to me that my end was near, I saw a green strip of land on the horizon. I strained my last strength and, when the sun had already begun to sink into the sea, I sailed on my trough to the island. From the island came the singing of birds and the scent of flowers. I went ashore. The first thing that caught my eye was a spring gushing out of a rock that was overgrown with ferns. I leaned against him with burning lips and drank until, as if a dead man, fell on the grass. The noise of the sea and the singing of birds lulled me, and the wonderful aroma of flowers acted like a dope. I woke up the next day, when the sun was already high. After eating fruits and drinking from the spring, I went deep into the island to look around. I walked under the spreading crowns of trees, made my way through thickets dotted with flowers, but I didn’t meet a soul anywhere. Only a couple of times I scared the timid monkeys.
It seemed to me that this forest would never end. I climbed a tall tree and began to look around. “Maybe there is some kind of building here after all,” I thought. I strained my eyes as best I could, and finally I saw a huge white dome in the distance on a sandbar. I decided that this was the roof of the palace, quickly climbed down from the tree and headed in that direction.
But I had to walk for a long time through the green forest, among the lush flowers, which were so fragrant that I almost fell asleep again. Finally I got out of the forest and stopped under a brilliant white ball, so huge that its top could not be seen. I walked around the ball and thought how to get into it. But there were no windows or doors anywhere. I tried to climb on it, but the surface of the dome was so smooth that even a fly could not stay on it.
Tired, I sat down near the dome and began to watch the sun go down. Evening was soon to come again, and it seems that I am destined to be alone on this island until death. I yearned for my native city, for noisy harbors and ships.
Suddenly everything around went dark, as if someone had thrown a huge black veil over the sun. I raised my head and saw that the sun was covered by a black cloud. The cloud kept growing and approaching the island. And then I began to distinguish the outlines of a huge bird. Her wings were like clouds blocking the sun. The bird, circling in the air, went straight to the dome under which I was resting. I barely had time to bury myself in the sand, writhing in fear and waiting for what would happen next.
The bird landed on the island, covered the balloon with its wing and fell asleep. I guessed it was a Rukhh bird. Sailors often talked about her. It was said that she feeds her chicks with elephants, and on one island she lays huge eggs. "This ball," I thought, "is nothing but the egg of the Rukhh bird." So I lay, buried in the sand, and suddenly I thought that with the help of this huge bird I could get out of the island.
I took off my turban, unwound it, and tied myself to the sleeping bird's leg. I didn't close my eyes for fear and barely waited until morning.
When the sun rose, the bird woke up and screamed so loud and long that it woke up all the birds and monkeys in the forest. Then she spread her huge wings with a noise and soared into the air. The Ruhh bird did not notice that I was tied to its leg. She flew over the boundless expanse of the sea, dispersing the clouds with her wings, as if they were fluffs from flowers. I was dizzy from the rapid flight, and my heart was pounding with fear. The Ruhh bird did not stop until it had crossed the whole sea. Then it sank into a deep and wide valley. I quickly untied my turban and hid behind a large rock. The Rukhh bird rose into the air and began to circle over the valley, suddenly it sank and immediately soared up again. I saw that in the mines she kept a huge snake, longer and thicker than the largest cedar. Before I had time to come to my senses, the bird Ruhh was already flying in the distance over the sea.
I decided to look around and went down the valley. My legs were still shaking from the terrible flight. The valley was surrounded on all sides by high mountains, their peaks resting against the clouds. There was no water, no vegetation, the ground under my feet was littered with stones. I felt uneasy. I already regretted leaving the island. “There, at least I could eat fruit and drink fresh water,” I reproached myself. - And there are no springs, no grass. Surely starvation awaits me here.” So I grieved and wandered around the valley with my head down, and suddenly noticed that under my feet there were not simple stones: the whole valley was strewn with precious diamonds. And among the stones, black snakes basked in the sun. Each of them was larger than the tallest palm tree. “That's where you got carried away, Sinbad,” I thought. “That’s why you so quickly let your inheritance go to the wind in order to die here among huge monsters and precious stones as quickly as possible, from which you have no use.” Thinking, I went on until I reached the foot of a high mountain. I sat down on a stone there and waited for the night. “It looks like this will be my last night,” I thought. “If I don’t die of hunger and thirst, then the snakes will guide me to the next world.”
Suddenly I saw something fall to the ground. It was a freshly slaughtered sheep. She rolled over twice in the air and finally plopped into the dust right on the diamonds. Several gems stuck to the carcass. And then I remembered how one merchant told me about the valley of diamonds. “This valley,” he said, “is located in a distant mountainous country, where no one has yet reached alive. It is full of terrible snakes. But people came up with a trick to get diamonds. They slaughter a sheep or other animal and throw the meat into the valley. Diamonds stick to the bloodied carcass. At noon, eagles and vultures descend into the valley, and people are waiting for them. The birds grab the carcasses and take them up the mountain. People pounce on them with sticks and clubs, the bird releases its prey, and then it remains only to collect the diamonds stuck to the meat.
Finally, I will be saved, - I exclaimed joyfully. I quickly collected as many large diamonds as I could carry with me, filled all my pockets with them, and then again unraveled my turban, lay down on the ground and tied myself to a mutton carcass. I didn't have to wait long. A minute later, wings rustled above me, a huge eagle grabbed a sheep with its claws and rose into the air. He sank to the top of the mountain, released us from his claws and began to peck at the meat. But suddenly a crowd of people attacked him. They shouted and beat with sticks on the rocks. The eagle was frightened, abandoned its prey and flew away. How surprised people were when they saw that I, Sinbad, crawled out from under the sheep! I told them about how I ended up in the Valley of Diamonds and thanked them for saving me. People believed me. They were also merchants and traded in diamonds. The merchants invited me to their ship. I agreed without hesitation, because now I also had a bunch of diamonds, a fortune! With new friends, I went to the open sea. I was rich again, alive and well, and looked to the future with hope.
We sailed from pier to pier, I met new people, black, white, yellow, who spoke different languages, sold and bought goods. Finally, I was able to load my own ship with expensive cargo and send it to my native shores.
But suddenly one night a terrible storm arose, the wind broke the masts, the rudder failed. When the storm subsided in the morning, we saw that our ship had been brought to the shores of a foreign land. As soon as the captain saw this shore, he began to tear his hair, moan and cry.
Woe to us, woe! Prepare for death! There is no escape for us, he shouted. - We ended up in the country of "furry"!
From his words we understood that this is an island inhabited by people who look like monkeys, yellow-eyed, covered with black wool. Before we had time to come to our senses, these monsters attacked our ship, surrounded us, began to tear our clothes, scratch and bite. Finally, the enemies took us to the island. Then they raised the sails and sailed away on our ship to no one knows where.
Unhappy, we wandered around the island, until we finally came to a huge stone palace. The ebony gates were wide open. We entered them and found ourselves in a large courtyard. The yard was empty. We could hardly stand on our feet from exhaustion. Everyone lay down in the shade of huge pillars and fell asleep.
We were awakened by a terrible noise; it seemed as if a thousand winds conspired and blew all at once. We jumped to our feet and saw a giant before us. His skin was dark blue, and his eyes sparkled like fire; his teeth stuck out like the tusks of a boar, and his fingernails were wide and sharp, like those of a lion. The giant was slowly descending the huge stairs towards us. We huddled together like frightened chickens, we did not utter a sound from horror. The monster bent down, wiggled its fingers over a bunch of frightened people and grabbed me. The giant looked at me with his sparkling eyes, felt from all sides, then let go and grabbed another, then a third, until he examined us all. Finally he chose the captain, the biggest and fattest of us.
Yeah, you'll make a good roast! said the giant in a thunderous voice. He lit a fire in the yard on a brazier. Then we came to our senses from fright and rushed to their heels. And the giant burst into a terrible laugh. He knew there was nowhere for us to run. All the same, he will gather us all, like a pea dove.
We hid in hollows, climbed into animal holes, but this did not save us. Every evening the giant came out of the palace and caught one of us. Then he made a fire in the yard, and in the mornings we heard terrible sounds, it seemed that someone was rocking the rocks. This giant was snoring after a heavy dinner.
Are we going to let him catch us like rabbits? - I said one evening to the merchants who survived. And I told them what I planned to do. We ran ashore, began to drag thick tree trunks into a heap and tie them with ropes of palm bast. Soon the raft was ready. When the giant's snoring was heard, we went to the palace. The giant stretched out on a stone bench and slept like the dead. We took two skewers, on which he roasted meat, heated them on fire and put them to the eyes of the cannibal, and immediately, with all our strength, we ran to the sea, where our raft was.
The ogre yelled in a terrible voice, it seemed that the island from his cry would fall into the sea. Spreading his arms and stomping like a herd of elephants, he set off in pursuit of us. The enraged giant uprooted trees, scattered them in all directions, like twigs, broke huge rocks into pieces, but we were already on the shore and lowered the raft into the water. “Now the blind giant will never overtake us,” we rejoiced.
But before we had time to sail from the shore, we saw next to the giant his wife, who was even more terrible than he. Horror made our hair stand on end; because we didn’t even know that there was someone else on the island. Then she noticed us, grabbed the giant by the arm and dragged him to the sea. On the shore, they began to break off huge blocks from the rocks, the size of a camel, and threw them after us. One of the blocks fell onto the raft. The raft shattered into pieces, and we all ended up in the sea. Stone blocks rained down on us, as if there was an earthquake. It seemed like we were all destined to die. But still, one of us escaped, and it was me. I climbed up on the logs left from the raft. They easily kept one person on the water. Fortunately, a high wave came up and carried me along with the raft to the open sea. And the stones kept falling into the sea, but now they did not reach me. The waves carried me farther and farther, but for a long time I heard the roar of the blinded giant. Again I was left alone in the vast expanse of the sea, ragged like a beggar, without food and without fresh water.
And why did I need all this, I scolded myself. Why didn't I stay at home? What drew me to foreign countries? Now I would have enough one date and the shade of trees by the road, just to be at home. Why do I need wealth, because the homeland is the most precious thing that a person has.
These thoughts did not leave me, but I should have thought about it earlier. And now I was alone in the sea, the sun mercilessly burned overhead, and there was not a cloud in the sky.
I wrapped the rest of my clothes around my head so that the sun would not deprive me of my mind, covered my face and eyes, and trusted fate. Finally, I fell asleep. When I woke up, I heard wonderful music and birds singing. Under the rags with which my head was wrapped, the scent of flowers penetrated, somewhere nearby, streams sang like silver bells. I was scared and thought that my end was near. “You can see all this is nonsense,” I decided, and tore off the rags from my head. I did not want to believe either my eyes or ears; my raft washed up on the sandy shore of a wonderful bay. Tree branches leaned over me, thousands of vines hung over the water, and magnificent orchids and other rare flowers sparkled in the sun. Transparent mountain streams fell from the rocks into the valley. I got up and with difficulty made my way to one of these streams. My legs were trembling, my head was spinning. I washed my face with cold water, moistened my hands and back, and greedily got drunk. Refreshed by the water and refreshed by the fruits, I began to sing and jumped for joy like a kid. How lucky I am to be alive and well! But I was even more delighted when I got to the green lawn and saw there an old man with a long gray beard. On the face of it, he seemed very kind to me.
Finally, I see a person again! I exclaimed and ran up to the old man. I spoke to him and told him about all my misadventures, and the old man began to praise the beauties of this island, exalted to the skies a huge pier where ships from all over the world gather.
Take me there, - I asked him, - and I will remember you with gratitude until death.
I would love to take you there,” said the old man. - But I can't walk, my legs stopped obeying me. I'm waiting for my grandson to come for me. But you know what, put me on your back and I'll show you the way. We'll get there in an hour.
I put the old man on my shoulders, and he showed me which way to go. We headed towards the pier. But as soon as I took a few steps, I was surprised to feel that the old man was very heavy. He tightly wrapped his legs around my neck, put his knees on my chest and began to laugh.
Gotcha, simp, - he shouted, - now you will drag me to death like a donkey!
He pushed me in the back and made me run faster in one direction or the other, or just spin in place. I tried my best to throw off the angry old man, but nothing worked for me. So I became his slave. The old man didn't get off my back even at night. I slept sitting up, and every minute he woke me up and tormented me. We wandered back and forth for many days and nights through beautiful forests full of birds and flowers, through shady groves, through fragrant meadows, and I did not notice anything around. I was tormented by terrible pain in my back and lower back, I felt that I was weakening every day , and the old man became more and more unbearable and heavier, as if he was squeezing all the juice out of me.
One day we stopped on a hillock overgrown with vines. Then I noticed a dried gourd on the ground. I picked it up, stuffed it with grain and grapes. Since then, I have carried the pumpkin with me and from time to time exposed it to the scorching sun. After a few days, the grapes fermented, and its juice turned into strong wine.
Now at least there is something to eat, I thought.
But when I raised the pumpkin to my mouth, the old man tore it out of my hands and drank all the wine in one breath. Then he began to sing, laugh, clapped his hands, pounded his fists on my neck, hit my sides with his heels, pushed me, demanded that I dance with him. The wine had such an effect on him that he stopped thinking. But soon he calmed down. I suddenly felt that his legs were gradually unclenching, he was no longer squeezing me as tightly as usual! I squared my shoulders and dropped the old man to the ground like a pear.
I suddenly felt so light, as if a mountain had fallen off my shoulders, I sighed with relief and looked at the old man. He lay in the grass completely helpless and slept like a groundhog.
Here you will jump when you wake up, - I laughed. “Wait now for another fool like me to pass by!”
Then I left the old man and merrily walked in the direction where the pigeon flocks often flocked. I walked for two days and finally came to a big city with a harbor. I walked the streets, stopped in the markets, but everywhere I heard someone else's dialect. It was only in the evening, when I was resting by the well in the market square, that I heard someone speaking my native language.
I jumped up and ran to the smartly dressed people, spoke to them and saw that they understood me. But these people looked at me like I was crazy. And if I could look at myself from the outside, I would not blame them for it. Instead of clothes, I had only a bandage around my hips, my face was eaten away by wrinkles, my cheeks and chin were overgrown with thick stubble, and the skin on my body turned pitch black from the scorching sun. So I have changed over the years of my wanderings. I had to talk about myself for a long time, and finally they believed that I was not lying. And when I remembered the island that was on the back of a monstrous fish, the merchants looked at me in surprise, whispered among themselves, and then suddenly one of them asked:
Listen, are you by any chance Sinbad, the merchant from Baghdad?
How did you recognize me?! I exclaimed joyfully.
Then the merchants began to hug and congratulate me, I recognized them as my friends from the first ship, those who managed to escape and sailed away before the monstrous fish plunged into the sea. Their ship was anchored in the harbor here. The next day they took me to the ship, showed me my goods, which were still in the hold, gave me expensive clothes, and I again became a merchant.
And since my comrades had already sold and bought everything they wanted, our ship headed straight for their native shores. We made it safely to Baghdad. There I sold my goods and bought myself a house with a garden and a vineyard. I was a good merchant and in a few years I became one of the richest people in the city. It helped me that during the years of wandering I studied life so well. But by sea, I no longer dared to travel. “Everywhere is good, but home is better,” I say. When I need to sell or exchange goods, I send one of my assistants instead of myself to foreign countries. I have three large ships and they surf the sea all the time, but not a drop of salt water falls on me. Sinbad the Sailor finished his story and waited for Sinbad the Bearer to say. But he was silent. Then the rich owner poured wine into a goblet and said:
Apparently, you did not understand why I told you about my misadventures. I thought it would be instructive for you, I wanted to tell you not to despair, not to curse your fate, even if life seems unbearable. Everything I have, I have earned by hard work. Do not hang your head, because I had a harder time than you, but look around - now I live in paradise.
And then Sinbad the porter asked Sinbad the sailor:
O lord, how long have you carried this old man on your back?
Many, many days, not less than four weeks, - answered Sinbad the Sailor.
Do you think you could wear it for a year or even your whole life?
At the most, I could endure six months, ”Sinbad the Sailor answered. - Maybe I would have died earlier than six months later. Then Sinbad the porter said:
You see, my lord, and I have been carrying such an old man for thirty years. Every day it becomes harder and harder, drives me here and there, tears a piece from my mouth, at night I feel it on my back, but I can’t throw it off.
Sinbad the Sailor understood his namesake and invited him to live in his house until his death. “You will compose poems for me,” he said to his guest, “and together we will reflect on life.
But Sinbad the porter politely thanked him for this offer and for his hospitality, said goodbye to Sinbad the sailor and left the house. It was already cool outside. Sinbad the porter put heavy carpets on his head and went on his way. Sinbad the Sailor looked after him from the window and heard him repeating his verses:
Who needs such a life?
Only hunger and want.
basking in idleness,
Spend their days in fun
Not knowing grief and need,
But they, like me and you,
And let their riches be incalculable,
After all, all people are mortal."